The group weblog for students in Physiology for Bioengineers (VTPP 434 and 435) at Texas A&M University

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Water-based Brain Imaging

Normally when a patient is preparing to undergo neurosurgery, they are
told that there are many risks involved. Every inch of the brain contains
millions of nerve fibers that are all responsible for different functions. In
order to get to the tumors, those nerve lines must be crossed, which poses
potential injury due to lack of preciseness. Now, however, neurosurgeons at the
University of California at San Diego have come up with a solution—water. It
seems so simple, but the reality of the matter is that water travels in a
specifically oriented way in brain nerves. By tracking these distinct
properties, a color-coded map may be viewed to see exactly where the nerve
fibers are. The biggest breakthrough with this technology is the fact that
certain nerves that are viewed as more important such as sight and hearing may
be avoided all together during surgery.

This article initially caught my eye because it didn’t seem feasible.
How could something as simple as water be the solution to so many current
neurosurgical problems? It amazes me that there are people that can figure
these things out and create such advances in technology. I’m sure that the
effects of this discovery will ripple through the medical field, much like
other developments do. There is a possible chance that this technique may later
be developed and used to interpret and diagnose neurological disorders and so
much more.